Iowa Workforce Development raises unemployment, injury benefits

Thursday, June 05, 2014 3:06 PM

Maximum weekly benefits paid to jobless Iowans and to workers injured on the job will increase July 6, Iowa Workforce Development officials announced. The rise in benefits was triggered by an increase in wages covered by unemployment insurance, the agency said today in a release.

The average annual wage for insured Iowa workers increased to $40,883.90 in 2012, up 1.9 percent from $40,106.68 the previous year. The new benefit payment schedules will apply to people who file new unemployment insurance claims and to workers injured on or after July 6, 2014.

Approximately half of those eligible for unemployment insurance benefits have enough earnings to qualify for the maximum benefit, which for a worker with three dependents increases to $471 per month, or 60 percent of the statewide average weekly wage.